Our rating system has three parts: content coverage, student independence, and classroom usefulness. The content coverage rating will be based on the resources completeness. For example, if the resource will help throughout an entire course, it will receive a 4 out of 4, but if it will only be useful in a specific area of a course, it will be rated lower. The student independence rating will help teacher determine if it is a resource that students can safely navigate on their own, or if students will need to be watched because of various reasons. And lastly, the classroom usefulness rating will describe the resource's overall usefulness for a classroom lesson, discussion, or homework.
Category: Educational Videos Discovery Education streaming
(www.unitedstreaming.com) - Produced by Discovery Education. This is a website that contains educational videos for all subjects and grade levels. Videos can be downloaded in segments or in their entirety. Video note templates and video quizzes are also available. I find this site incredibly useful because it uses demonstrations and examples that are difficult to do in person. (Posted by Ben Hanson) Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 4
(www.brainpop.com) - Produced my BrainPOP. This website contains educational videos for all subjects and grade levels. Videos can be shown and a follow-up quizzes for the students. These quizzes are graded and review the material that was missed on the quiz. I find this site as a great introductory activity for my students because it explains the information then shows how it can be used outside of a classroom. (Posted by John Edmonds) Rating: Content Coverage - 3, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
ClassZone
(www.classzone.com) - Produced by McDougall - Littel, this website is the online portion to many textbooks used around the country. For math, this site provides video lessons that show math examples, practice quizzes that are graded immediately, and extra practice questions. For social studies, this site provides quizzes, primary sources, and maps. For science, you will be able to find videos, lab animations, and charts. This site would be best used with a textbook because it allows students to view the book online, but it can also be useful to teachers by providing videos and resources to aid students. (Posted by John Edmonds) Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4 (with textbook) 2 (without textbook)
Teacher Tube
(www.teachertube.com) This is a great site. It goes along the same lines as YouTube in the respect that you can have videos that are submitted and reviewed by many. This sites limits the video content to education videos and instructional additions that will aid the teacher in the classroom. this is a site that is mainly used during lectures and other teacher driven instruction but you can also create activities, such as a scavenger hunt, in which the students can have a self discovery assignment. (Posted by Steven Fitch) Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 4 (with textbook) 2 (without textbook)
Category: Online Simulations Projectile Motion
(http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/more_stuff/Applets/ProjectileMotion/jarapplet.html) - Produced by the University of Virginia. This website is geared specifically for physics students. This online simulation allows students to test how initial velocity, launch angle, and mass affect a projectile's trajectory. This amazing resource helped my students see the relationships between initial velocity, launch angle, and mass in a manner that is not possible in an actual lab. (Posted by Ben Hanson) Rating: Content Coverage - 2, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
PhET: Free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and ...
(http://phet.colorado.edu/) - Produced by the University of Colorado. This website is a general all-in-one science resource. It includes resources and simulations for physical science, earth science, and life science. I find it particular useful when I review for the state test. Our state test contains biology, chemistry, and physics. If students need extra help in one of these subjects, I assign a specific simulation from the website. (Posted by Ben Hanson) Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
John Kyrk
(www.johnkyrk.com) This is a great simulation site for cellular mechanisms and processes. It can be used at almost all levels of inquiry. The animations are spectacular, with a great amount of detail for all of the processes. Examples include, but are not limited to, mitosis, meiosis, DNA replication, mRNA translation, and many more. It is best used for a teacher driven discussion but you can develop a worksheet to allow for student independence. (Posted by Steven Fitch) Rating: Content Coverage - 3, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 3 (with textbook) 3 (without textbook)
Virtual Microscope
(http://www.udel.edu/biology/ketcham/microscope/scope.html) - This is a great simulation lab in which the students can prove their effectiveness in handling expensive microscopes before they are allowed to handle them. It allows for an individual experience for each student in which they can control all the parts of the microscope. This will give them the training they need to handle the real thing. (Posted by Steven Fitch) Rating: Content Coverage - 2, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
Category: Online Thinking Practice
Cool Math Games
(http://www.coolmath-games.com) - Produced by Coolmath Games Inc. who developed this site in 1997. This website is a collection of online games that require logic and thinking. This site could be used after a student finishes the required content of class and needs another activity that will enhance them as a thinker. This site would need to be used as an extension activity, not used for classroom instruction. (Posted by John Edmonds) Rating: Content Coverage: 1, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 2
Category: Educational Videos
Discovery Education streaming
(www.unitedstreaming.com) - Produced by Discovery Education. This is a website that contains educational videos for all subjects and grade levels. Videos can be downloaded in segments or in their entirety. Video note templates and video quizzes are also available. I find this site incredibly useful because it uses demonstrations and examples that are difficult to do in person. (Posted by Ben Hanson)
Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 4
Brain Pop
(www.brainpop.com) - Produced my BrainPOP. This website contains educational videos for all subjects and grade levels. Videos can be shown and a follow-up quizzes for the students. These quizzes are graded and review the material that was missed on the quiz. I find this site as a great introductory activity for my students because it explains the information then shows how it can be used outside of a classroom. (Posted by John Edmonds)Rating: Content Coverage - 3, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
ClassZone
(www.classzone.com) - Produced by McDougall - Littel, this website is the online portion to many textbooks used around the country. For math, this site provides video lessons that show math examples, practice quizzes that are graded immediately, and extra practice questions. For social studies, this site provides quizzes, primary sources, and maps. For science, you will be able to find videos, lab animations, and charts. This site would be best used with a textbook because it allows students to view the book online, but it can also be useful to teachers by providing videos and resources to aid students. (Posted by John Edmonds)
Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4 (with textbook) 2 (without textbook)
Teacher Tube
(www.teachertube.com) This is a great site. It goes along the same lines as YouTube in the respect that you can have videos that are submitted and reviewed by many. This sites limits the video content to education videos and instructional additions that will aid the teacher in the classroom. this is a site that is mainly used during lectures and other teacher driven instruction but you can also create activities, such as a scavenger hunt, in which the students can have a self discovery assignment. (Posted by Steven Fitch)
Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 4 (with textbook) 2 (without textbook)
Category: Online Simulations
Projectile Motion
(http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/more_stuff/Applets/ProjectileMotion/jarapplet.html) - Produced by the University of Virginia. This website is geared specifically for physics students. This online simulation allows students to test how initial velocity, launch angle, and mass affect a projectile's trajectory. This amazing resource helped my students see the relationships between initial velocity, launch angle, and mass in a manner that is not possible in an actual lab. (Posted by Ben Hanson)
Rating: Content Coverage - 2, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
PhET: Free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and ...
(http://phet.colorado.edu/) - Produced by the University of Colorado. This website is a general all-in-one science resource. It includes resources and simulations for physical science, earth science, and life science. I find it particular useful when I review for the state test. Our state test contains biology, chemistry, and physics. If students need extra help in one of these subjects, I assign a specific simulation from the website. (Posted by Ben Hanson)
Rating: Content Coverage - 4, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
John Kyrk
(www.johnkyrk.com) This is a great simulation site for cellular mechanisms and processes. It can be used at almost all levels of inquiry. The animations are spectacular, with a great amount of detail for all of the processes. Examples include, but are not limited to, mitosis, meiosis, DNA replication, mRNA translation, and many more. It is best used for a teacher driven discussion but you can develop a worksheet to allow for student independence. (Posted by Steven Fitch)
Rating: Content Coverage - 3, Student Independence - 2, Classroom Usefulness - 3 (with textbook) 3 (without textbook)
Virtual Microscope
(http://www.udel.edu/biology/ketcham/microscope/scope.html) - This is a great simulation lab in which the students can prove their effectiveness in handling expensive microscopes before they are allowed to handle them. It allows for an individual experience for each student in which they can control all the parts of the microscope. This will give them the training they need to handle the real thing. (Posted by Steven Fitch)
Rating: Content Coverage - 2, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 4
Category: Online Thinking Practice
Cool Math Games(http://www.coolmath-games.com) - Produced by Coolmath Games Inc. who developed this site in 1997. This website is a collection of online games that require logic and thinking. This site could be used after a student finishes the required content of class and needs another activity that will enhance them as a thinker. This site would need to be used as an extension activity, not used for classroom instruction. (Posted by John Edmonds)
Rating: Content Coverage: 1, Student Independence - 4, Classroom Usefulness - 2